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Edited by BIO Intelligence Service 1/2 June 2007

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap

Greenhouse-Village in the Netherlands, a self-sufficient ComplexGreenhouse-Village is a new design for greenhouse-powered neighbourhoodswith decentralised water and wastewater facilities. This design is based oninnovative greenhouses that store excess heat from solar radiation during thesummer and deliver it to heat greenhouses and houses during the winter.Energy balances show that 2 hectare greenhouses can heat and supply facilitiesto up to 200 houses.

The greenhouse sector in the Netherlands is world-famous for the production and export of flowers,plants and vegetables. This sector, which is highly energy-intensive and consumes almost 10% of theNetherlands' total gas consumption, has a leading position in the development and implementation of innovative technologies for energy, water and climate control.

In this framework, the recent Greenhouse-Village concept, developedby InnovationNetwork and a consortium of Dutch companies, wasnominated for the prestigious French Altran Award in 2006. Theproject consists in a new design for a greenhouse-poweredneighb ourhood with decentralised water and wastewater facilities.The whole complex is self-sufficient in energy and water and recyclesnutrients and carbon. The design is based on the following principle:the sun provides far more energy than the global economy needs. If this energy could be harvested and stored, much of the global energyproblem could be solved.

The technical design of Greenhouse-Village contains four sub-systems thatare closely connected:

1. The energy system: The design isbased on an innovative greenhouse thatharvests the excess heat from solar radiation during the summer and stores itin natural underground water reservoirs.The energy stored is used for heatinggreenhouses and houses at night or during the winter.2. The water system: The grey water of the households (from the shower and kitchen) is purified inan aerobic bioreactor and is used for irrigating the plants in the greenhouse. This water is converted intovapour by the plants, condenses and is collected. The collected water serves as a source of tap water for the households.3. The carbon cycle system: The different biowastes (black water from toilets, organic kitchen wasteand residual plant material) are converted into biogas by bacteria. The biogas is combusted in a gasturbine and is used to produce electricity and to heat tap water.4. The nutrient system: In addition to biogas production, the biowaste treatment produces liquideffluents containing nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These minerals are essential for plant growth and are used in the greenhouse.

First energy-producing greenhousesThe first energy-producing greenhouses were established in theNetherlands in 2006. They attracted a lot of media coverageand the attention of members of the Dutch parliament. Theresults are above expectations: the energy-producinggreenhouses resulted in an increase in vegetable harvests of 20% and a total suppression of fossil fuel use. It is largelyexpected that the energy-producing greenhouses willrevolutionize the entire greenhouse business. This will turnthe horticultural sector from a natural gas consumer (10%of Dutch annual consumption) into a sustainable energyprovider.

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8/8/2019 June07 Greenhouse Village

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Edited by BIO Intelligence Service 2/2 June 2007

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap

Through an energy balance, it is calculated that 2 hectares of greenhouse can provide sufficientenergy to heat 200 houses throughout the year . Moreover, calculations integrating costs of extrainvestments and savings have shown that the system could be cost-effective on this scale. Thus,Greenhouse-Village is a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and economical solution.

In the Netherlands, Greenhouse-Villagehas proven to be a remarkable success.Farmers organisations have welcomed theconcept enthusiastically and various citycouncils are currently considering thefeasibility of Greenhouse-Village in newurban developments.

The recent nomination for the prestigiousFrench Altran Award broughtGreenhouse-Village onto the international

stage, resulting in the first moves towardsinternational expansion. As a result, a firstinternational demonstration project iscurrently under development in Shenzen,China,

Combined greenhouse and houses in Greenhouse-Village

Sources:

Greenhouse- Village report by InnovationNetwork (in Dutch)http://www.zonneterp.nl/zonneterp.pdf

InnovationNetwork web-site: http://www.agro.nl/innovatienetwerk

Additional information has been kindly furnished by Eur Van Andel from Fiwihex.

Contact:

Eur van Andel

E-mail: eur@fiwihex.nl

Fiwihex B.V. Wierdensestraat 74, NL7604BK Almelo, Netherlands

Tel : +31 546 491 106

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